Campgrounds in the Upper Mississippi Valley region reported Thursday (May 27) they are booked or nearly full for the Memorial Day weekend.
“It’s the start of the summer and everyone has Monday off, so it’s a nice three-day weekend and the perfect time to go camping,” said Moses Simon, an employee at Prairie Island Campground.
All 216 of the campground’s sites have been reserved for the weekend and a waiting list started, Simon told the Winona (Minn.) Daily News.
Perrot State Park campground... Read more

The entrance to Whistler RV Park and Campground, British Columbia
The newly opened Whistler RV Park and Campground near Whistler Village, British Columbia, has added over 100 RV sites and 36 tent sites to Whistler’s previously scarce RV and campsite inventory.
With the Olympic-sized renovations that were undertaken on Highway 99, Whistler is even more of a ideal location for an RV trip, according to a news release.
Whistler RV Park and Campground is a year-round RV and camping destination situated... Read more

In a special meeting May 20, the Beaver, Ark., town council voted to slash its RV Park campground fees and discuss contract issues with the park managers, according to the Lovely County Citizen, Eureka Springs.
The council met with its three sitting aldermen. Two positions remain vacant on the council.
According to minutes of the meeting, the decision to lower camping fees was made based on a review of fees at other area campgrounds. The $20 dump station charge has been eliminated for campers and... Read more

They come from far and near this week to enjoy the Margaret MacNider Campground in Mason City, Iowa.
Perley Holloway is from near — he lives five blocks away, according to the Mason City Glboe Gazette.
“Once you’re in the park, you don’t really realize you’re in town,” Holloway said. “But it’s convenient if you forget something.”
City officials gathered Thursday afternoon (May 27) outside the new camp store for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating completion of the 95-site campground’s... Read more

New York Gov. David A. Paterson announced Thursday (May 27) that an agreement has been reached with the Legislature to ensure there are sufficient revenues to maintain operations at all New York State parks and historic sites, including all Department of Environmental Conservation campgrounds in the Adirondacks and Catskills, according to a press release.
The agreement with the Legislature achieves $74 million in State General Fund savings and contains Paterson's E-waste Program Bill.
"I... Read more

The New Hampshire Campground Owners Association says advance reservations are strong and is predicting a 10% increase in business this summer, Associated Press reported.
Executive Director Gregg Pittman said in a statement Thursday (May 27) that the positive economic outlook and stable gas prices are among the factors in the upbeat forecast, on the heels of good weather so far this spring. May rains hampered business last year.
The organization says there are about 230 campgrounds in New Hampshire,... Read more

Watch today's Featured Video, courtesy of WANE-TV, Fort Wayne, Ind.
With the great forecast for Memorial Day weekend, lots of people are hitting the campgrounds early. Many sites have been booked for months.
In 2009, Memorial weekend in northern Indiana was filled with rainshowers. The month of May hasn't been much better. But with the weather warming up, it's a perfect storm for sites like Blue Lake Campground near Churubusco, Ind., according to WANE-TV< Fort Wayne.
"All... Read more

The Airstream Sport travel trailer
Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) has chosen Progressive as its preferred RV insurance provider.
To celebrate the new collaboration, Progressive and KOA will give one lucky adventurer a 16-foot Airstream Sport travel trailer, 30 days worth of free camping at KOA sites and a KOA VIP Value Kard Rewards card, according to a news release. The five-month Ultimate Kamper Contest will include daily KOA Value Kard Rewards winners before a final grand prize winner is announced... Read more

It had once been a thriving facility, one of many in Somerset, Wis.’s bustling summer community.
However, for the past five years, Apple River Campground has sat empty.
“There were nine campgrounds and tubing businesses in Somerset during the 1980s,” said Jeff Taylor, general manager of the new Apple River Family Campground. “Last year, there were only two.”
Add a couple more to that list. Two long-dormant campgrounds – Apple River Hideaway and Apple River Campground – have reopened... Read more